


Zen XM Radio

by megsblackfire



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, M/M, OC children - Freeform, Reconciliation, modern day AU, the McHanzo love is just blossoming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 03:10:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14010888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: Hanzo has never missed a broadcast since he discovered Genji's radio show. It's the only way for him to hear his brother's voice after the fight they had ten years previous. But, with a little push in the right direction, he may be able to finally make the first step in fixing what he and Genji lost.





	Zen XM Radio

“Hello all you night owls! Sparrow back in the booth after a nice day of relaxation and sleep,” Genji’s voice spilled out of the speakers on Hanzo’s hotel room desk. “I hope your day’s been just as fulfilling or at the very least not as stressful. And hey, if it was stressful, that’s what I’m here for.”

Hanzo never missed Genji’s show no matter how far from home he was or how jetlagged. It was soothing to hear his brother’s voice speak so happily about the day or the week or even the month. Genji thrived on positivity and he wanted nothing more than to share that with anyone that was willing to listen. It was the only way he could hear his brother’s voice after the bitter fight they had ten years previously and most days he needed that dearly.

Hanzo would give anything to go back in time and take back all the words he had used against his brother. It was wrong to have treated him that way and he regretted it every day he didn’t see his brother. So, when he discovered Zen XM Radio three years ago, Hanzo made it his mission to listen to every show even if his brother never knew how much Hanzo supported it.

“So, the phone lines are on and I’m waiting for you lovely people to call in,” Genji laughed. “Tell me all about your day! Remember to focus on the good, but if you need a shoulder to cry on and don’t mind a few hundred other people hearing you, I’m here to hand out advice. That psych degree’s gotta be good for something, right?”

Hanzo smiled as he listened to Genji laugh. It was good to hear his brother laugh. Hanzo had few things to smile about. Between the disastrous marriage that landed him with alimony and two kids that absolutely despised their birth mother, constantly travelling for his job, and the heartache of watching his kids grow up under the eyes of a caretaker rather than his own, he wasn’t in the best frame of mind. At least he knew that his kids loved him and that their caretaker never tried to usurp his spot in their hearts.

“Hey, _Oto_?” Sora poked her head in from the adjoining room. “What’re ya listening to?”

“A late night radio station,” Hanzo replied. “I thought you and Rowen were going to go explore the temples today?”

“Rowen’s still zonked out,” Sora shrugged as she trotted over and flopped down on the bed. She rolled onto her stomach and kicked her feet up behind her head. “So, what’re we listening to?”

“And we have our first caller!” Genji announced. “Hello, caller! How’s your day been?”

Sora’s mouth fell open. “Is that _Ojisan_ Genji?” she whispered.

“He can’t hear you, Sora,” Hanzo chuckled as he looked fondly at his laptop.

“I didn’t know _Oji_ had a radio show!” she grinned widely, adopting that huge eyed look that her caretaker had. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Because it plays from eleven at night until two in the morning,” Hanzo shook his head. “You are supposed to be asleep.”

“But it’s _Oji_ Genji!” she whined. “I haven’t talked to him in years, _Oto_. I miss him so much!”

“I know, little lark, I do too,” Hanzo sighed as he reached out to run his fingers through her black hair.

He was thankful every day that she didn’t look like her mother. The spiteful woman had been a bottle-blonde with mean blue eyes and a mouth as sharp as thistles. Sora wasn’t; she was black haired and brown eyed and preferred to laugh and sing and dance with her caretaker. She’d even tried to style her hair like him, but she didn’t look quite as good with shaggy hair as the Southerner did.

Sora was his baby, his treasure, his little yellow dragon. She was as wild and carefree as the sky. She was curious and always getting herself into trouble, more often than not dragging Rowen down with her. But she was all heart and would happily give anyone the shirt off her back if she thought they needed it. Good, Southern ideals had been taught to her and he was grateful for her caretaker’s care and attention.

Genji was speaking animatedly with a young woman about her excitement about getting into a prestigious college. “Don’t forget to have fun,” he said. “I’m not saying go party every night; that’s a terrible idea, take my word for it; but don’t forget to take a break from the books and unwind.”

“Thank you, Sparrow,” the woman laughed.

“Sparrow?” Sora asked.

“It was our nickname for him when he was young,” Hanzo said as he watched his feet, taking in Genji’s laugh.

“Is that way you call me Lark?” Sora asked softly.

Hanzo smiled at his daughter. “One of the reasons, my little lark,” he said.

She smiled and stretched herself out. “I like that.”

Hanzo chuckled as he reached out to run his fingers through her hair. She leaned into the touch, sighing a little as Genji bid his caller a good night.

“Okay caller number two; how has your day been going?”

“Little lonely,” a familiar drawl played through the speakers.

“Oh my gawd,” Sora squealed. “ _Papi_?! Is this just the congregation of everyone we know or something? I swear, if _Tío_ Gabriel calls in, I’m going to freak.”

Hanzo smiled at the affectionate name his children had for their caretaker. He was as good as a father to them for all of his quirks. Hanzo had been skeptical when an associate had pushed the resume across his desk when he mentioned he was looking for a nanny for his babies. The man looked rough and his criminal record said that he’d lived rough; he had run with a gang in his youth and had only avoided jail time because he agreed to a sponsorship program to rehabilitate him. Hanzo’s ex-wife had bitched at him that even considering someone like him was a danger to their kids. That had been all the incentive he needed to invite the man over to see how he handled his little ones.

Jesse McCree took to them like ducks to water. Sora was a fussy eater that only ever ate when Hanzo was the person on the other end of the spoon, but Jesse figured out a way to make mealtime more engaging for her and she eagerly ate everything put in front of her. Rowen was a bedwetter from the ages of four to six and often tried to hide his shame by stuffing the soiled sheets in his closet; Jesse comforted him no matter how late it was, reassuring him that there was nothing wrong with him. Whether it was picking the kids up from school when Hanzo’s meetings ran late or holding a seat at a recital until Hanzo was able to stumble in, Jesse was the father figure his kids needed.

They adored him and even though they were long past the years of needing a sitter, he still came over to help them with homework or be there when Hanzo was out of town to keep them out of trouble. It was a comfort that Hanzo had come to rely on; Jesse McCree was always there at a drop of a hat, no questions asked.

The first time Sora had called him “Papi” in front of Hanzo, Jesse had tried to backtrack. He apologized profusely, claiming he’d let the kids call him that because it was cute and he wasn’t trying to muscle in on his turf. Hanzo had reassured him that he thought it was cute too; how could a three-year-old with the stars in her eyes be anything but adorable when she looked at the rugged man and proudly called him “Papi”? Rowen openly called Jesse “Papi” when he realized that it was safe to do so; it was how the two of them were. Sora tested the waters and Rowen either jumped in after her or scrambled to save her. His ex-wife had hated it, claiming that it was inappropriate for the children to call their caretaker such a parental name. Jesse pointed out that a lot of Latin American families call their little ones “Papi” as a term of affection. It only made sense that they use the term with him since he was the one also teaching them Spanish.

“Aw, and what’s got you lonely, my friend?” Genji asked, bringing Hanzo back to the present.

“Well, the kids I look after are out of town on a trip with their dad,” Jesse chuckled. “Mighty quiet without those two little whirlwinds running around.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Genji crooned. “How old are they?”

“Fourteen,” Jesse sighed. “Been looking after them since they were about two. Lights of my life, those little devils.”

“And their dad didn’t want to take you with them? Bastard,” Genji tutted.

Sora stuck her tongue out at the screen. “Family time, you jerk!”

“Nah, it’s all good. He’s been busy the last little while and needed some time with his kids,” Jesse chuckled. “Lotta folks look down their noses at people like him, but he works hard for those two. Ain’t never gunna meet someone like him anywhere else in this wide world.”

“You’re fond of him,” Genji said. Hanzo could hear the smile in his voice.

“Well, shucks, how could I not be?” Jesse sighed. “That man helped give me my life back. Don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t decided to throw me a bone and let me look after his kids. Hell, I know I don’t look good on paper, but when he showed me those two adorable little angels, it was like the clouds had lifted. Never gave him a reason to doubt me, even if his bitch of an ex-wife was ready to call the cops every time I walked up to the house.”

“Well, if that’s not a sweet story, I don’t know what is,” Genji sighed happily. “Well, I hope those kids call you. And, between you and me, my Southern friend, you should totally ask that man out if he’s single.”

Jesse let out a spluttering noise and Hanzo’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline. Sora let out a sharp noise before she rolled onto her back laughing hard enough to mask Jesse’s answer. Hanzo let out a long sigh and shook his head, leaning back in his chair to smile at his amused daughter. She kicked her feet in the air before rolling back onto her stomach with a laugh-drunk expression.

“Papi has it so bad for you,” she cackled.

Hanzo shook his head again. Jesse was an incredibly intelligent man, but being subtle was not something he was good at. The man was about as subtle as a brick to the face. He thought he was being inconspicuous with his crush and affections for Hanzo, but even his kids realized at a young age that their caretaker liked their dad. Lucky for him, Hanzo enjoyed Jesse’s company as much more than an employee and a friend. It was just incredibly hard to reconcile the two emotions when he was paying the man to be in his house.

“Have you ever called in?” Sora asked as she propped her chin up on her hands.

“No,” Hanzo murmured. “It seems...inappropriate.”

“Oh,” Sora pouted as the next caller started asking for advice about how to confront a potentially cheating boyfriend.

She got to her feet and headed for the washroom, grumbling about bad breakfast. Hanzo squinted after her; she was up to something. They hadn’t had breakfast yet. He really hoped she didn’t try to hunt down Genji’s personal cellphone number while he was working and call. He didn’t know how she would do it, but Sora was a willful child and if she really wanted to, he had no doubt that she could manage it. Sometimes he worried about where she got her attitude from, but then he remembered that she was smart enough to get herself out of trouble again. If she couldn’t, she had Rowen to bail her ass out.

There were three more callers before Genji started playing an upbeat electronica song to break up the monotony of voices. Hanzo stretched in his chair, listening to the song with a smile on his face. That would be one of Lúcio’s newer songs, he believed; Genji had always loved the Brazilian DJ. He understood why even if he wasn’t a fan of electronica; Lúcio was a brilliant mixer.

He lifted an eyebrow as Sora went running from the washroom through the door joining the two hotel rooms. She heard Rowen grunt before the door clicked closed and then the angry rapid-fire Spanish of his two kids arguing when they didn’t want him to understand. He narrowed his eyes as the music slowly wound down; what was Sora planning and should he be worried if she managed to rope her twin into it?

The answer was yes, yes he should be worried. It was Sora and when she was planning something, it was safer to be worried than it was to ignore the clever child. If she could convince Rowen to go along with her plans, he should be even more worried.

“And that was ‘We Move Together’ by Lucio Correia dos Santos,” Genji laughed. “Always a joy to play his new songs. Hope you enjoyed that bit of delight; I know I did. For anyone just tuning in, this is Zen XM, the one radio station on the airwaves that makes it its duty to bring you a little bit of joy and happiness in your life. I’m your host, Sparrow, and we’re going to dive straight back into the calls. I’ve been warned that my next caller’s on speakerphone so that their sibling can talk to me as well. So, where are you two calling from?”

“Thailand!” Sora’s voice cackled over the speakers.

Hanzo stiffened in his chair. Well, he should have seen that coming. His clever little girl was going to get a stern lecture for this if she said something she shouldn’t. He loved her to pieces, but sometimes he swore she wanted to give him an early grave.

“Well, how’s the weather over there in tropical Thailand?” Genji laughed.

“No idea; haven’t left the hotel room,” Sora admitted. “Someone slept in and was being lazy.”

“Not my fault,” Rowen grumbled. Hanzo knew his son was rubbing at his eyes as he yawned. “Jetlag’s a bitch.”

Sora let out a soft snort and the sound of a hand slapping over a mouth could be heard through the speakers. Oh, this was going to be good. Cue flustered Rowen losing his mind over a swear word.

“Shit! I mean, fuck! I mean, oh gods fucking damn it, I’m in so much shit,” Rowen whined.

Hanzo heard a thump from the other room as Sora’s laughter boomed through the hotel room and the speakers. Hanzo laughed and shook his head as he heard Rowen shouting at Sora.

“It’s not funny! I just woke up! Dad’s going to have my head!” Rowen shouted.

“I can’t breathe!” Sora howled.

“Well, you two are lively,” Genji said over the sound of Sora’s howling. “Your old man nearby, kiddo?”

“Listening to the show in the other room,” Rowen huffed as he switched off speakerphone so that Sora wasn’t quite so loud. “I am so dead.”

“Nah, I’m sure he’ll be fine; you didn’t swear on purpose,” Genji chuckled. “So, why are you two in Thailand?”

“Family vacation,” Rowen replied. “Dad just got back from a really important business trip and he wanted to treat us to a little family time away from home.”

“So you chose Thailand,” Genji’s smirk was palpable.

“Have you seen the temples here?” Rowen asked.

“No, can’t say I have,” Genji laughed.

“WE HAVEN’T EITHER BECAUSE YOU SLEPT IN!” Sora shouted.

“Fuck, Lark; that was my ear!” Rowen hissed.

“Then put it back on speakerphone, _estúpido_ ,” Sora snorted.

“Jerk,” Rowen huffed.

“Anyways, we called because our dad doesn’t miss a single one of your shows,” Sora said proudly. “At least, I don’t think he does. He’s real secretive about it because, ya know, we’re his kids and still not considered old enough to be privy to such dangerous knowledge as the existence of a late night radio show.” He could almost hear her eyeroll. “So, yah, he listens to all of your shows but he’s too much of a chicken to call in.”

“So you’re calling in for him,” Genji chuckled.

“We’re calling in to show him that it’s not really that hard,” Rowen agreed before a loud Spanish ringtone played out.

“ _¡Hijo de puta!_ ” Sora hissed as soft thumps echoed down the line. “What a time for him to text me.” There was a moment of silence as she read the text before she started laughing. “Oh my gawd, I’m being chewed out for embarrassing my father by my caretaker!”

“Well, don’t keep me in the dark, kiddo!” Genji cackled. “Share the juicy gossip.”

The Spanish ringtone played again. “Oh, I’m daring to! You’re the one that texted me while I was still on the air, _pendejo_!” Sora cackled. “The text says ‘I can’t believe you would say something like that about your dad’ and then there’s a picture of a sad cactus.”

“A sad cactus?”

“Yes, because I’m being a prick and that makes it sad,” Sora cackled.

Genji howled with laughter. “Your caretaker is hilarious! Oh, but I should let you two go; I can’t let you dominate my time no matter how delightful you are. Not fair to everyone else if I start letting people monopolize me. I hope you tune in a few times while you’re in Thailand, kiddos, but don’t forget to have fun.”

“We won’t, Sparrow,” Rowen promised before they hung up.

Hanzo glanced at his phone as it started vibrating. He picked it up and smirked as two texts from his kids showed up along with Jesse’s.

He opened the one from his kids and shook his head at the near identical texts of “I LOVE YOU, _OTO_! PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!” Jesse’s read “that’s not what the cactus means!” Hanzo chuckled as he sent back a quick text to Jesse; “but it was so fitting.”

Rowen poked his head around the door and grinned. “Hey, _Oto_ ,” he murmured.

“Come here,” Hanzo shook his head. “My two clever children are going to be the death of me.”

Rowen grinned as he walked over. It was Jesse’s grin, a wide stretch of lips and proud display of teeth. Hanzo loved it on his son and thought it suited him better than Hanzo’s tight-lipped smiles. Sora trotted at her older brother’s heels, her grin much more manic. She was riding high on the fumes of causing trouble and he was reluctant to bring her back down.

They both sat down on the bed and Hanzo turned off the audio on the laptop. He turned his chair towards his kids and lifted an eyebrow.

“Do you think you should be punished?” he asked.

“We did go behind your back and sort of make fun of you on a national radio show,” Rowen rubbed his head.

“And we did swear, a lot,” Sora shrugged. “We usually get in trouble for that.”

“Very well,” Hanzo nodded. “In that case, your punishment is to go to the local temples and take pictures.”

Rowen and Sora looked at each other in surprise before turning to squint at him. “What’s the catch?” Rowen demanded.

“Yah, what’s the catch?” Sora cocked her head to the side.

“You can only go to the temples,” Hanzo said. “And you have to post the pictures on Zen XM Radio’s twitter page.”

“There’s another catch,” Sora said accusingly.

“You have to flash a peace sign in every picture,” Hanzo smirked.

The identical looks of horror he received from his children was perfect. Sora whined that it was so lame to flash peace signs and Rowen wailed that no one was going to take any of their pictures seriously. They didn’t get far with their arguments before they got to their feet and hugged him tightly.

“Go have fun,” he crooned as he kissed their foreheads. “I want fifteen minute updates. Sora, no cowboy boots. Rowen, keep an eye on your sister and no swinging from anything like a damn monkey.”

“Yes _Oto-san_ ,” they both chimed.

They hurried back to their room to get changed and Hanzo turned the audio on his laptop back on. His kids poked their heads back into his room to wave, grinning from under their nearly identical cowboy hats. They looked absolutely adorable in them and Hanzo smiled as he waved his kids off. Jesse had gifted those hats to them years ago and they cherished them as much as the boots they got every year for their constantly growing feet. He took a deep breath as he opened another tab to keep an eye on the Zen XM Radio twitter feed.

He toyed with his phone as Genji played more songs and talked with his listeners. His throat felt tight, but his kids were right. It shouldn’t be so hard to call in and talk to his brother. It didn’t feel right, but how else was he going to say anything? He didn’t know Genji’s new cellphone number and contacting Zenyatta was out of the question; he was not going to go through his brother’s husband to contact his brother, especially not when there was a kid between them.

He’d never met Kiki Shimada, but he’d seen enough pictures on the Zen XM twitter page to know what she looked like. She was the perfect mesh of Genji and Zenyatta, taking on Zenyatta’s dark skin and Genji’s big eyes and wild eyebrows. Genji positively gushed about his ten-year-olds accomplishments in school on his twitter, claiming that Zenyatta had given him the best gift in the world in the form of their daughter.

He smiled as a picture of a Thailand temple appeared in the feed with the monks tending to it flashing peace signs at the camera. Genji let out a cackle and drew attention to the picture.

“Well, it looks like my two young viewers finally got out to see those temples! They’re certainly beautiful. Nice work, darlings!”

Hanzo ran his fingers over his phone before he took a deep breath. He tapped the number for the radio station and stood up, turning off the audio on his laptop and pressing the phone to his ear as he walked across the room so that he wouldn’t get any annoying feedback. He got the cheery, upbeat music of a hold feature and leaned against the wall to wait.

“Hello!” Genji chimed in his ear. “How’s your day going, caller?”

“Fairly well, Sparrow,” he said softly.

Genji was silent and Hanzo felt his heart constricting in his chest. He was expecting to be hung up on; it was nothing more than he deserved. What he had said that day could never be taken back. Part of him believed that he didn’t deserve to be forgiven.

“You just made my day,” Genji said equally soft. Hanzo felt tears well up in his eyes. “Tell me about your day, my friend.”

“Well, I’m on vacation with my trouble-making kids,” he said. “We’re in Thailand.”

“Ah, so you’re the man that’s never missed one of my shows,” Genji chuckled softly. “You honour me by finally calling.”

“I haven’t been able to find the courage,” Hanzo said as he rubbed at his eyes. “I’ll admit that there’s more than just my day I want to talk about, Sparrow, if you don’t mind listening.”

“I’m always ready to listen to a good story,” Genji replied. “Please, tell me everything you want to say.”

“I am a blessed man,” Hanzo murmured. “I have two amazing kids that are whip-sharp and generous with their love and affection. My job takes me away from them more than I would like, but I know they’re in good hands with their caretaker. He’s an amazing man that I thank whatever deity is listening for sending my way. I’ve been divorced from a soul-sucking woman for four years now and broke away from my abusive parents a little over six years ago.” He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. “The only thing missing from my life is my brother. I wronged him ten years ago. I said things I never should have said to him after he did nothing but support me my whole life. I drove him away, Sparrow, and I regret it every single day.

“I want to make amends, but there is no forgiving what I said to him. I deserve every ounce of his hatred, but I want so badly to have him back in my life and in my children’s life. I want to get to know his spouse and their child. I want our children to become as thick as thieves and cause complete and utter mayhem. I just don’t know where to even start. It’s been ten years, Sparrow. Ten years of letting wounds fester and pollute what used to be a beautiful friendship. Where do I begin to reconcile with him?”

He heard Genji swallow wetly. “Calling him would be a good start,” he said softly. “You’ve been through a lot of pain, my friend. I don’t think it was only you that said things he shouldn’t have ten years ago. Arguments like that are rarely one-sided, even if we only ever remember what we said or what they said. If you know his number, wait for a good time and just call him; say, ten o’clock tomorrow morning? Ten o’clock is a wonderful time of the day; lots of positive energy flowing around with the sun. Start by saying sorry. Don’t give an explanation unless he asks for one. Apologies are lessened when you try to justify yourself.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Hanzo murmured. “Thank you for listening, Sparrow. It has helped.”

“I hope you and your brother can reconcile,” Genji said. “You have a good day with your kids, okay?”

“I will, once I track them down,” he chuckled. “Thank you.”

He hung up and let out a soft sob. He walked over to his laptop and turned the audio back on. He wasn’t surprised to hear music instead of Genji’s voice. He sent a quick text to Rowen telling him that the next picture had to show their faces. He got a confirmation back from Rowen and a dancing cactus GIF from Sora. He sent the GIF to Jesse with the accusation of “look at what you made my daughter do”.

“Kid’s got good taste,” Jesse sent back. “Going to bed now, Han. You have a good day in Thailand with the rugrats.”

“Sleep well.”

There was a ding from the twitter feed and he looked up. He smiled at the picture of his kids. Rowen; looking like a younger version of himself with beautiful brown eyes, already sharp cheekbones, and a smile to melt the hearts of even the iciest bastard; and Sora; his little firecracker with paler skin than her brother, but the same brown eyes and black hair with a wide excited grin; standing in front of a tiger statue and flashing peace signs. Rowen had a hand wrapped around his sister’s shoulders, holding her close as their cheeks smooshed against each other, and his braided black hair tossed casually over his shoulder. His cowboy hat was a little off-centre, but it made him look handsome. Sora’s eyes were the centerpiece of the picture, gleaming out from under the rim of her hat as she held her peace sign against her cheek. Shimada fangs gleamed in her mouth as penance for not getting his cheekbones. Rowen didn’t have the fangs.

“And there’s an update from our friends in Thailand,” Genji said loudly. “Let’s see…. Oh.” Genji let out a long breath before he cleared his throat. “Well. Um, I’m going to need a minute everyone. I know we just came off a music break, but I need another moment.”

Music started playing over the radio and Hanzo smiled. The caption under his kids’ photo said “To the greatest radio host ever, love your littlest fans.” They hadn’t seen Genji in years and they single-handedly just reduced him to tears. He hadn’t told them to say that, but he was so proud of them.

He waited to hear what Genji said; he was struggling through tears claiming this was the greatest day of his life because of the family in Thailand; before he turned off the laptop and got to his feet. He sent a quick text to his kids to see where they were and told them to wait for him. He slipped his phone into his pocket as he left the hotel room and headed out into the warm sunlight.

***

Hanzo sat at his desk with his kids eagerly grinning from the bed. His phone was pressed to his ear as he waited patiently for Genji to pick up on the other end. It was late, really late, but they’d all slept in so it wasn’t so bad.

“Hello,” Genji answered after the fourth ring right before it went to voicemail.

“Hello, Genji,” Hanzo said. “Is now a good time to talk?”

“Yes!” Genji laughed. “I’m going to put you on speakerphone, okay?  The lights of my life want to talk to you too.”

“I was about to say the same thing,” Hanzo chuckled before he flicked speakerphone on and held it out so his kids could hear.

“HI _OJI_ GENJI!” Rowen and Sora shouted at once.

“Hello, my little darlings,” Genji crooned. “Oh, you made me cry last night, you know that, right?”

“We’re sorry,” Sora grinned. “But we were trying to be sneaky and not let anyone know who we were!”

Genji let out a soft laugh. “Oh, Rowen, you look so much like your _oto-san_ ,” he sighed.

“I get that a lot,” Rowen smiled. “I’m just missing the fangs.”

“Who’s that, _Oto_?” a sweet voice asked.

Sora and Rowen’s heads perked up and they looked at Hanzo expectantly.

“That’s your cousins, Sora and Rowen, _momo_ ,” Genji soothed. “You never got to meet them. Their _oto_ and I had a big fight where we said things we shouldn’t have said to each other.”

“Oh,” Kiki chirped. “Hi cousins!”

“Hi,” Sora and Rowen called back. “What’s your name?”

“Kiki!” she said excitedly. “I’m ten! How old are you?”

“Fourteen,” Rowen said. “I’m older.”

“By two minutes,” Sora pouted.

“Still counts,” Rowen grinned at her.

“Do you have two daddies too?” Kiki asked. “I have an _Oto_ and a _Bubā_!”

“No, we just have an _oto-san_ ,” Sora shook her head.

“Oh,” Kiki said. “Do you have a momma instead?”

“We do, but she’s really mean and not very nice,” Rowen wrinkled his nose. “She gets us every second weekend and it’s not fun. She tries to make Sora dress like a princess.”

“I like princesses!” Kiki giggled.

“I’d rather be a cowgirl like my caretaker,” Sora lifted her nose. “They get to go and have adventures and get dirty. Princesses have to stay in the castle and do math.”

“I like math!” Kiki laughed. “So I would be a fantastic princess!”

“You say that now,” Sora said sagely, “but when they start adding letters into the mix, you’ll be really confused.”

“Why would they add letters?” Kiki asked.

“Because they don’t like anything to be simple,” Sora shuddered. “So you’re in Grade 5, right?”

“Yup!” Kiki said proudly. “I’m one of the smartest in the class! _Bubā_ says it’s because I eat so much broccoli, but I think he’s lying.”

“I don’t know,” Sora mused. “Rowen’s pretty dumb and he never eats his broccoli.”

“Says the girl who tries to push her green beans onto Jesse’s plate when she thinks no one’s looking,” Rowen shot back.

“Rowen, you traitor!”

“Oh please, _Oto_ already knew.”

“I did,” Hanzo agreed.

“Is that _Oji_ Hanzo?” Kiki asked softly.

“That is,” Genji soothed.

“Hello, Kiki,” Hanzo said. “I’m glad to hear that you’re doing well in school. I have to come visit you sometime and get to see what a big girl you are.”

“How long are you in Thailand for, Hanzo?” Zenyatta’s soft voice asked.

“We’re here for another few days,” Hanzo said.

“We can come visit the day after you return,” Zenyatta said. “If you are willing to have houseguests so soon after an extended vacation.”

“YES!” Sora shrieked.

“Please!” Rowen agreed and rapidly nodded his head.

Hanzo smiled at his kids. “That sounds like a fantastic idea, Zenyatta,” he said. “I think it’s time for my kids to get to bed so Genji and I can have a little bit of privacy.”

Sora and Rowen pouted but said their goodnights without a fight. They hugged him tightly and he kissed their cheeks before they headed for their room. Rowen paused at the door as Sora walked past. He smiled at Hanzo and tipped his head to the side.

“I’m glad you and Genji made up,” he said.

Hanzo smiled and made a shooing motion as he blew his son a kiss. Rowen grinned and closed the door behind him. He could hear his kids arguing over whose pajamas were whose and shook his head as he turned off speakerphone.

“They’ve grown up so much,” Genji sighed.

“Zenyatta was pregnant the last time I saw you,” Hanzo murmured. “I’ve never even held Kiki.”

“That will be rectified immediately, _niichan_ ,” Genji said sternly. “You will get to hug and cuddle our little _momo_ ‘til you burst with happiness.”

Hanzo smiled. “Genji, I’m so, so sorry for everything I said that day,” he said. “It was wrong and I never should have let our father’s expectations come between us.”

“I’m sorry too, Hanzo,” Genji said. “I egged you on and called you names I never should have. You are my brother; my loyalty to you should have overshadowed everything our father said to us. I’m so happy to hear that you have no contact with him anymore.”

“I was not going to let him anywhere near my children,” Hanzo said. “He was trying to turn Rowen into me and I couldn’t stand the thought of my son being anything like I was. Broken, afraid, wishing that his life would just end; I couldn’t do it. I had to get away, if not for their safety, than for my sanity.”

“Father wasn’t interested in Sora?” Genji asked.

“Only in passing,” Hanzo shivered. “He didn’t like how close she was getting with her caretaker. She’s wanted to be a cowgirl since she was old enough to pull Jesse’s boots on her feet and waddle around the house.”

“I can’t believe Jesse’s still around,” Genji laughed. “Fuck.”

“He’s a good man; I don’t know what I’d do without him,” Hanzo chuckled.

“Ask him out,” Genji whined. “You’ve been pinning for that cowboy from the moment he held a fussing Rowen in his arms and sang him to sleep.”

“Genji, it’s hardly appropriate,” Hanzo clucked his tongue.

Heat spread across his cheeks regardless because, yes, he would love to go have coffee with Jesse. They already knew each other so well and the connection was there between Jesse and his kids, but he was so unsure of himself. He’d already failed one marriage; did he want to try with someone that he was so close to? He didn’t want his kids to lose Jesse over something stupid like this.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” Genji teased. “Besides, I’m sure he’s been pining just as badly for you, Hanzo. How could anyone resist such a handsome man?”

“Considering how long it took for me and that bitch to consummate our marriage, I’d say a number of people,” Hanzo laughed.

“Hey! We do not bring that horrible woman into any conversation about your happiness,” Genji scolded. “And I hope you know that I’m relieved you finally gave her the boot.”

“I’m paying her alimony,” Hanzo grimaced.

“What? Why?!”

“Because her lawyers managed to argue that she was incapable of earning enough to meet her standard of living,” Hanzo sighed.

“Wow,” Genji growled. “If I didn’t hate her before, I sure do now.”

“Don’t fret, brother; my lawyers are working on an appeal case,” he chuckled. “How have you been, _otouto_?”

“Good,” Genji laughed.

They talked for hours until Hanzo’s eyes began to itch. They said goodnight after Hanzo started yawning every second word, promising to see each other the day after Hanzo returned home.

* * *

 

He and his kids had a fun vacation, save for the day they lost from food poisoning. They’d all curled up in Hanzo’s bed whining about stomach cramps and trying to find comfort in the warm bodies pressed in close. They took hundreds of photos, posting a number of them to the Zen XM twitter page; Sora was in charge of captioning them. Hanzo almost regretted it when she captioned one “Old Japanese Man Tries to Read a Map” when Hanzo was trying to figure out where the hell they were in a national park. He got her back with a picture of her getting chased by an angry goose captioned “Run, Sora, run!”.

Jesse met them at the airport and drove them home, chuckling as Sora and Rowen passed out in the backseat of his pickup. “Glad to see they had a good time,” Jesse murmured as he helped haul their things inside. “Missed my little whirlwinds.”

“They missed you too,” Hanzo said as he hoisted Sora onto his back and carried her up the stairs to her bedroom. “Thank you for looking after the house.”

“No problem,” Jesse said as he set Rowen down in his bed across from Sora’s.

They walked back downstairs to let the kids rest and Hanzo rubbed the back of his neck. Now or never, old man. Bite the bullet and ask him out. The worst he’s going to say is “no”.

“Jesse, are you free for coffee sometime?” he asked.

Jesse blinked at him before nodding his head. “Yah,” he said. “Whenever ya want, darlin’.”

“Thursday at noon?” Hanzo smiled.

“Sounds like a date,” Jesse grinned and turned a faint shade of pink. “Uh….”

“It’s a date,” Hanzo agreed as a wave of heat passed over his face.

Jesse worried his lip before he leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss against Hanzo’s lips. Hanzo let out a long exhale of relief before he returned it. He was too old to play shy, not when Jesse was so willing to take the risk of being rejected, too. They stood there kissing for a little while, never getting any deeper than an open-mouth, before Hanzo pulled away and wiped at his eyes.

“I need to sleep,” he said softly.

“Yah, long flight,” Jesse agreed as he slowly threaded his fingers through Hanzo’s hair. “I’ll see ya Thursday. You sleep well and have sweet dreams, darlin’.”

“Thank you, Jesse,” Hanzo murmured. “For everything.”

Jesse gave him one more kiss before he headed for the front door. Hanzo watched him leave with a smile on his lips. When the door closed behind him, Hanzo headed up to his room, stripped out of his shirt and jeans, and crawled into his bed, lying on his stomach. He was out within seconds and only woke when someone much smaller than his kids landed on him.

“Wake up, _Oji_!” Kiki laughed as she shook his shoulder. “Wake up!”

“Mmm,” Hanzo grumbled as he shifted under the blankets. “Kiki, please get off my back.”

“Not until you get up!” she pouted at him.

“Can’t get up if you’re on me,” he chuckled.

She let out a soft hum before crawling off of him and sitting down beside him instead. She cocked her head to the side before reaching out to poke his cheek. She giggled as Hanzo playfully snapped at her finger, grinning as Hanzo shifted up onto his elbows.

“Does your _Bubā_ know you’re bothering me?” he asked as he reached out to run his fingers through her curly black hair.

Kiki grinned mischievously and shook her head. “Nope! But _Oto-san_ does!” she giggled.

“Mmm,” he mused as he slowly sat up, cracking his back in the process. “Well, you got tell that brother of mine that his little darling managed to wake me up. And I was having such lovely dreams too.”

Kiki giggled and hopped off the bed. She raced out of the room still giggling and Hanzo smiled after her. He stretched his arms over his head, groaning as his back popped and cracked more. He got to his feet and went to get a clean set of clothes out.

When he made it downstairs, the kitchen smelt like pancake batter and maple syrup. He smiled as Sora flipped a pancake expertly in a frying pan and grinned as Genji loudly applauded her. He leaned on the doorframe watching his daughter as Rowen mixed more pancake batter, adding chopped strawberries while he sucked on a pixie stick.

“Sugar for breakfast, Rowen?” Hanzo tutted.

“I’ve already had a bowl of cereal,” Rowen said as he lifted his chopsticks. “And I need the burst of sugar to keep up with my cousin. She has a lot of energy.”

Genji looked over and got to his feet. “Hanzo,” he murmured.

“Hello, _otouto_ ,” Hanzo smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

Genji smiled and walked forward, opening his arms. “You got old,” he teased before he wrapped his arms tightly around Hanzo’s chest. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Genji,” he murmured as he hugged his brother close. “You look fantastic.”

Genji grinned at him before whistling. “ _Momo_ , come greet your _oji_ properly!” he called.

Kiki came zipping into the room and rushed over to hug Hanzo around the waist. Hanzo knelt down and returned the hug, holding the little girl close. He pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes and smiled.

“Hello, Kiki,” he said. “You’re a beautiful young girl and very smart. I’m glad to finally get to meet you.”

“ _Oto_ talked a lot about you,” Kiki said. “He said you were scary, but that all dragons are when you first meet them.”

Hanzo smiled. “Do I scare you?” he asked.

Kiki shook her head. “Nope!” she said proudly. “You’re the greatest dragon ever! _Oto-san_ is going to let me get a dragon too when I’m older! It’s going to be right here,” she tapped over her heart. “And he’s going to be pink!”

“Pink?” Hanzo smiled.

“Uh huh! It’s my favourite colour!”

“A pink dragon in the House of Shimada,” Hanzo mused. “He shall be the strongest one of all.”

“You think so?” Kiki stared up at him in awe.

“I know so,” Hanzo winked. “But you have to be a good, strong girl in order to make him feel safe and wanted. Can you do that for your dragon?”

Kiki nodded her head happily. “Yah! Kōraru will never feel like he isn’t wanted!” she said.

“Hey, Kiki; first batch of pancakes are ready,” Sora called. “You want morning sausages or bacon?”

“Bacon!” Kiki said excitedly. “I can have the blueberry pancakes, right?”

“Yup,” Sora grinned as she slapped two pancakes onto a plate and added three strips of bacon to the side. “Sorry they aren’t in any cute shapes; couldn’t find our stencils.”

“That’s okay!” Kiki giggled as she took the plate to the table to sit down beside Zenyatta. “It smells so good!”

Sora preened as she ladled the strawberry pancake batter onto the pan. Hanzo smiled as he looped his arm around his brother’s shoulders and led him back to the table. Zenyatta reached out to place his delicate hand over Hanzo’s and squeezed tightly.

“It is good to see you again, Hanzo,” Zenyatta said in his soft voice. “Being with family is very important.”

“I plan to make up for lost time,” Hanzo promised as he raised Zenyatta’s hand to his lips and gently kissed his knuckles. “You have been good to my brother, Zenyatta. Thank you.”

“Genji has been good to me,” Zenyatta smiled as his milky white eyes crinkled. “I could not ask for a better partner.”

“Aw, Zenny,” Genji cooed. “Neither could I.”

“Ew!” Kiki whined. “Why do you have to do that at the table?”

“Hey, could be worse,” Sora called.

“They could be fighting at the table,” Rowen agreed. “Scoot your ass, Sora; I need to check the sausages.”

“I’m working here, _pendejo_ ,” Sora grumbled as she shifted away from the oven. “You’d better not make me burn the pancakes.”

“It’s two seconds,” Rowen laughed as he quickly rolled the sausages over in the casserole dish. “There, already done.”

“And they’re burning,” Sora teased as she flipped the pancakes over.

“Aw, they sound like we used to,” Genji teased as he pinched Hanzo’s cheek.

“Used to?” Hanzo laughed as he pulled his brother close and rubbed his knuckles into Genji’s short black hair. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll sound like that in a few minutes, Sparrow.”

Genji squawked and wiggled, but didn’t try to pull away. Hanzo missed this. He missed having his brother close and he missed their playful fights. There was a ten-year chasm yawning between them, but they would find a way to close it. They had kids now and were older. They didn’t have time to be stupid and petty. At least, not all the time.

**Author's Note:**

> Meet the Shimada kids, everyone! I've been sitting on this story for a long time because I was really nervous about introducing OCs. But, considering I have Van and Joel in just about everything now, I figured it was time to publish something with them to give you all a taste of their personalities.
> 
> Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed the ride!


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